ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. pop — soda
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. mine — for digging
  8. pop — music
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bulb — for light
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. shower — to wash
  16. root — the cause
  17. root — of a plant
  18. shower — rain
  19. bass — the fish
  20. pop — to visit
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. root — of a word
  24. bass — low music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com